Beneath the Starry Night
By Angelique
Betaed by Mary
Carolyn Muir and Daniel Gregg beneath the stars after the GAMM episode, Wedding Day.
The whole thing had been one large mix-up. First Cousin Harriet had visited, Gull Cottage and had gotten the idea that Carolyn was dating a man named Captain Gregg and Claymore Gregg filled in for his great, great uncle; the ghost occupying Gull Cottage.
Harriet left for home, but immediately wrote Carolyn's parents a letter saying how charming "Carolyn's Captain" was. Brad and Emily Williams, her parents, wasted no time in showing up to check out the "new man" in Carolyn's life.
Mistakenly believing that Carolyn was about to elope with "Captain Gregg," as she had with her first husband, Bobby, Emily had arranged for a surprise wedding and dinner at The Inn - the best hotel in Schooner Bay.
Thanks to Captain Gregg's invisible warning and suggestion, Carolyn was able to convince her mother and father that she did NOT want to marry anyone, and Brad and Emily had renewed their wedding vows on their 35th anniversary instead.
How does one marry a ghost? Carolyn sighed, standing before the preacher with Claymore. Next time, the Captain and I will have to be more careful about how we borrow Claymore to represent him!
Nevertheless, it was a wonderful evening with her parents renewing their wedding vows, as the children, Claymore, Martha, and Carolyn witnessed… and yes, the Captain appeared wearing his handsome Naval uniform, assuring Carolyn her "engagement" to Claymore was null and void from that moment on.
As Carolyn turned in, relieved, she replied, "I do."
Hearing her words, the Captain responded affectionately; "I do… Carolyn." She slowly turned back around to look in the Captain's eyes, and he added, "I wanted to see how the words sounded on such an occasion."
Later, as Claymore said his good nights to Carolyn, he remembered he had the pearls the Captain had told him to get her. He gave them to her (with none of usual reluctance at giving away something that was or might be valuable), and he left.
As he did, the Captain materialized, and Carolyn thanked him for the gift she knew he was responsible for. Looking deeply into her eyes, he answered her.
"If I were alive, there would be emeralds and diamonds and palaces..."
"Captain, "If you were alive, Gull Cottage would BE a palace," she had replied.
"Good night, Madam," the seaman said, and dematerialized.
XXX
The hour was late, and it had been a full and lovely evening. The children went off to bed after a goodnight hug and kiss, and Martha said her good nights, as well as her parents, who were spending the night in the guest room.
Carolyn had changed into her nightgown, exited the closet where she had disrobed, and noticed the moonlight shining in the French doors, leading to the balcony, the moonbeams hitting the Captain's binnacle and telescope in her bedroom. She placed the shawl the Captain had given her after Vanessa had left Gull Cottage around her shoulders, and walked toward the French doors, opening them.
She turned back to her bedroom just as the ships' clock on the mantel above the fireplace struck ten. Carolyn turned back to the balcony to gaze out at the night and the many stars, and the bright, bright moon. She took in the cool soft breeze of the ocean and the sound of the waves hitting against the shore filled her senses; the timeless rhythm, always moving. How peaceful in this sometimes hectic world to have something constant to count on. Carolyn mused. The rhythm of the sea… timeless and never changing.
She felt the nippy night air, and pulled her lovely shawl closer around her shoulders, and as she did, her thoughts went back to the Captain's words at the ceremony that evening, those movements… those glances… his words… all of it. Movements… If only they could be timeless and never ending with him, she thought, as her attention went to the stars blinking in the midnight-blue velvet sky. It was as though the universe had opened the curtain to the space beyond. The vast space - with so many beautiful stars - millions of light years away. How small we are in comparison to the universe! her thoughts went on.
The Captain was also admiring the night as he stood on the widow's-walk directly above Carolyn on the balcony below -Two ships in the night; staying their parallel course, never to anchor, but to admire from afar.
He recalled, with fondness, the time Carolyn and had been working on an article to submit to some magazine. He had told her about the cotillions he had hosted when he had been alive. She was coming down with the ague, (not Virus X, as that Doctor Peep had said), at that time, however, and his attentions were soon focused on making her well, and not giving a hang about her finishing her story.
Captain Gregg was also looking at something he had found in one of his trunks in his wheelhouse. He had purchased in the 1840s, in Boston - a brass and glass music box that played a Waltz of Romance. Along with the music box, he had a small parchment copy of the poem he had written for her when Tim Seagirt had spent the night at Gull Cottage. He placed the tiny scroll, written with his quill pen, inside the music box as a memento of his love for Carolyn.
After all, the Captain thought, she seemed to enjoy the poem when I had that young musician set it to his music. I hear her humming it occasionally, as the young man was kind enough to make her a copy to have. He said it was, "Haunting lyrics of a love that cannot be." That composer didn't know how true his statement is!
Captain Gregg materialized behind Carolyn, stopping for a moment, noticing the Moroccan shawl draped on her shoulders and the moonlight reflecting on her golden hair. She looks so peaceful, he contemplated: Do I dare disturb her thoughts?
He stepped closer, and quietly pulled the shawl up on her shoulders a little more, wanting desperately to gently kiss the nape of her neck, but this was impossible to do. Besides, such liberties might be too forward for a lady like Carolyn. Ahh… to be able to touch her as I desire to sweep her up in my arms! His thoughts were interrupted as Carolyn suddenly turned around.
"Thank you for adjusting my shawl," she said quietly, and then added, "So you couldn't sleep either?"
"Madam, I do not sleep, in my state, it is not required."
Again Carolyn looked up at the night sky. "Look, Captain," she pointed, "A shooting star! Make a wish on it!"
"But why, Madam?" Daniel Gregg asked, puzzled.
"Hurry, before it burns out! Wish!"
In silence, both of them took a moment to wish, and then watched the star disappear on the horizon.
"It's almost as if you could reach up and pick one of them…" Carolyn said softly, knowing that the stars were just one of many things in her heart that were unobtainable. Then she looked down toward the ground and then back up and into his brilliant blue eyes with sadness. She turned away from him.
"Yes, well…" The Captain brought out the music box he had hidden behind him at this point, and almost shyly, he held it out, presenting it to her.
Surprised, she silently took the lovely object in her hands, and as she lifted the delicate lid, it started playing the Waltz of Romance. Carolyn recalled the night she was sick with fever, how she woke up to the Captain's time, dressed in a Victorian-period ball gown, and was able to dance that wonderful waltz with him… at least in the dream… or was it? As she listened to and admired the music box, she looked up at the Captain, catching him watching her with true affection in his eyes.
"A mere feminine bobble of the past," he said quickly. "Well, Madam, I believe I will bid you good night once more, and leave you to retire."
The lovely woman took a deep breath.
"Thank you… Daniel…for such a wonderful night," she almost whispered.
The Captain smiled wickedly.
"Madam, many ladies have said this to me, but never for less than being a gentleman during this night with you!"
They both laughed and he was gone.
XXX
Carolyn wandered to her bed, removed her shawl, and placed the music box next to her on her nightstand. She took the pearls that Daniel had given to her and placed them in an empty compartment of the music box.
Noticing the small scroll; she read the poem, already etched on her heart. She then rolled it back, placing it with the pearls, and slipped into bed. As she leaned over to blow out the candle that was burning on the nightstand, the Captain popped back in.
"What was it you were saying about wishing on a falling star?"
"If you wish on a falling star, your wish will come true," she replied in a sleepy voice, her head sinking deeper into her pillow.
"If only that was true," the Captain replied softly.
XXX
Carolyn awoke the next morning as the morning sunlight filled the Master Cabin. As she got out of bed and gathered her robe around her, she saw a heavy rock sort of object on her desk. Puzzled, she wondered what it was. Certainly it bore no relation the scrimshaw the Captain had given her!
The Captain appeared with a cup of coffee, and placed it on her desk, looking enormously pleased with himself.
"Well my dear, there is your falling star, he said in his proud way. "I thought you would like to have it, so I watched it as it fell to earth and brought it to you. Alas, they are not as appealing when they have cooled off, or as big after falling to earth."
Jonathan and Candy, followed by Martha, came running in to say good morning, and to tell their mom, that Grandma and Grandpa were leaving on a second honeymoon soon. Jonathon noticed the meteor on the desk.
"Wow! Can I take this to school for a science project?"
"Me, too!" Candy echoed.
Carolyn glanced at the Captain, getting his nodded approval.
"You can take it to school on two conditions: That you don't lose it, and you don't drop it on anyone's toes."
"This little thing?" Martha asked, as Jonathon handed it to her to hold. "Yikes!" she exclaimed, amazed at how heavy it was. "Did this fall on Gull Cottage?" she asked, puzzled, "I know we have rain that comes through the roof, but falling stars, too?"
Candy pointed out the darker area. "This is where it burned in Earth's atmosphere as it fell."
Together, the little family exited Carolyn's room and went down the stairs.
"Would anyone like some toast and jam with our ghost and falling stars at Gull Cottage, this morning?" Martha asked jokingly, but quietly, as Carolyn's parents were downstairs somewhere. "It would seem nothing is beyond the impossible here!"
"Not everything is possible; although I wish it were," Carolyn replied, looking at the Captain's portrait hanging in the living room as she stood in the hallway, outside the kitchen. She gave a big yawn as her parents came into the kitchen to say good-bye.
"Don't wait too long to marry a fine man like the Captain," Emily Williams whispered in her ear.
Carolyn smiled as she gave them hugs and kisses and the whole family saw them to their car. After a quick breakfast, the children headed off to school. Scruffy jumped up on the front stoop and barked as they started down the road on their bicycles, and the Captain appeared, commenting to Carolyn:
"A fine family we have, indeed!"
The End
I do hope this story is worthy enough. It is my first attempt of writing a fan-fic based on The Ghost and Mrs. Muir.
I may not be at all good with the writing mechanics and my grammar - if this is terribly composed perhaps I should get a writer to place my ideas down for me as an alternative!
My mother was a good writer. I have trouble with my use of words and spelling, so writing this was challenging for me.
In my early years I grew up in France and Germany, and in my household my parents and sister spoke German. In my school and in the community, it was French, and at home also English.
I had trouble with English once we returned to the states. Even though all I speak now is English, since we stopped using other languages from 1968 on. It was confusing.
When I am tired, I tend to misspell and not catch it all. I am only a little proficient with the mediums of the PC world of software.
It is mentioned in the conditions of posting stories that there is no excuse for poor mechanical errors is stories posted. This was very intimidating, so I am putting it out here. If it is not well received, so be it, and if it is, well, great - I will do more.
Please feel free to let me know what I could do to improve this story. It might be pretty amateur in comparison to some I have read on this site. We all have to start somewhere!
I enjoy reading others and even reviewing, but on poor Tabatha12's, I misspelled a few words in review and did not catch them till I posted, so sorry about that, but I loved her story and others.
PS - My husband Jeff said this story was too mushy and romantic. Does anyone else think so?
Angelique